1.30pm: Profits at Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation rose in the first three months of 2007. By Chris Tryhorn

City diary: Tapering off his pre-budget preparation, Gordon Brown yesterday broke bread with the 1966 World Cup winning England side and their German counterparts from the legendary "they think it is all over" match.

City diary: Tomorrow might be a red letter day in Gordon Brown's diary but budget day isn't at the front of everyone's mind in the City.

City diary: The boring back-office firm Capita, you will have read here yesterday, is the latest group to feel the might of the Financial Services Authority's enforcement team, receiving a huge £328,000 fine for failing to police staff who stole, or sought to steal, £1.8m from customers over three months at one of the group's many divisions.

Cosima Marriner: What with trying to squeeze more cash out of Nasdaq and lure the NYSE into a bidding war for the London Stock Exchange, boss Clara Furse didn't make it to Cheltenham this week.

Cosima Marriner: How many DIY enthusiasts does it take to attend a conference? If you're B&Q, 19 seems to be the answer.

City diary: Steer clear of Glasgow if you want to live a long and prosperous life.

City diary: Memo to George Osborne, the wet-behind-the-ears shadow chancellor: don't mess with Bank of England governor Mervyn King.

City diary: The supermarket everyone hates to love has engaged a Yankee strategy firm to canvass British "opinion makers" about their views on Tesco.

City diary: Never let it be said that Metro boss Steve Auckland isn't devoted to the free newspaper cause.

City diary: Every media executive has a jargon-packed line about convergence - or the coming together of your telephone, TV and waffle toaster into one convenient device.

City diary: Mining giant BHP Billiton is readying itself for the day when robotic chief Chip Goodyear decides to call it quits.

City diary: The outgoing HSBC chairman, John Bond, was in demand at yesterday's result's briefing - but not because the bank had posted a record £12bn profit.

City diary: Richard Desmond, owner of Express newspapers, can live out his rock star fantasies again come May.

City diary: New York might be the buzz capital of the world, but for Lachlan Murdoch it ain't a patch on Down Under.

City diary: As if being responsible for a third of Barclays' profits wasn't enough, the bank president, Bob Diamond, has taken on yet another role: chief talent wrangler.

Office beckons for birthday boy.